Worldsteel published December and full-year 2019 world crude steel production yesterday. World crude steel production was 152 million metric tonnes in December, 4.0% higher than in December 2018. Full-year 2019 production was 1,870 million tonnes, 3.4% higher than in 2018.
Chinese crude steel production accounted for 55% of full-year 2019 world output. China’s production increased 8.3% between 2018 and 2019 to 996 million tonnes while output in the rest of the world declined 1.7% to 874 million tonnes.
Comparing 2018 to 2019 output, Asian production outside of China declined by 1.3% with Japanese output down 4.8%. In North America, US production rose 1.5% while in Mexico, output declined 8.0% and in Canada, output fell 4.9%. European Union production fell 4.9% following a 6.5% drop in Germany and a 5.2% fall in Italy. Other important production changes between 2018 and 2019 around the world include a 9.6% decline in Turkey, a 9.0% drop in Brazil, a 30.1% increase in Iran, and a 43.2% rise in Vietnam.
Image of Volgograd Steel Works “Red October” from Wikimedia Commons by Alexxx1979 [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports fell 36% from 212,000 short tons in December 2018 to 135,000 tons in December 2019. Lower wire rod imports accounted for most of the decline, with volumes declining significantly from Venezuela, Vietnam, Japan and Australia.
Long products imports declined 10% from 3,460,000 tons in calendar 2018 to 3,111,000 tons in calendar 2019. Wire rod imports again accounted for the majority of the decline, followed by rebar and merchant bar. All Other Structural Shapes was the only long products category with higher imports in 2019 compared to 2018, with imports rising 24%.
SIMA long products import licenses
January 2013 to December 2019
Short tons
” Preparation of rebar cages that support a personnel footbridge spanning across the future LIRR Mid-day Storage Yard” from Wikimedia Commons by MTA Capital Construction Mega Projects [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports fell 9% from 656,000 short tons in December 2018 to 595,000 tons in December 2019. Lower cold roll imports from Vietnam, hot roll imports from Mexico, and hot dip galvanized imports from Vietnam all contributed to the December-on-December decline.
Flat products imports declined 23% from 9,945,000 tons in calendar 2018 to 7,695,000 tons in calendar 2019. Hot roll imports declined by 1,175,000 tons, accounting for 52% of the decline for all flat products, followed by hot dip galvanized imports, falling by 583,000 tons and accounting for 26% of the decline for all flat products.
SIMA flat products import licenses
January 2013 to December 2019
Short tons
Image from Wikimedia Commons by Bärwinkel,Klaus [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
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Worldsteel reported crude steel production in China at 80.3 million metric tonnes in November, 4.0% higher than in November 2018. China’s output over the first eleven months of 2019 was 7.2% higher than in the same period last year.
China’s General Administration of Customs reported Chinese net finished steel exports (exports minus imports) in November at 3.5 million tonnes, 16.9% lower than in November 2018. Net exports in the first eleven months of 2019 were 5.9% lower than in the first eleven months of 2018.
China monthly crude steel production
Thousand metric tonnes
“Photo of the construction site of Beijing subway line 15, taken from Hongchang Road near the planned “Wangjing” station” from Wikimedia Commons by YYK [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
China accounted for 54% of world production in November with output of 80.3 million tonnes, 4.0% higher than in November 2018. Asian production outside of China fell 4.9% on last November due to declines in Japan (-10.6%), Taiwan (-14.8%), India (-2.8%), and Thailand (-26.9%).
European Union production fell 10.7% compared to November 2018 on declines in Germany (-12.9%), France (-18.2%), and Italy (-9.8%). In the Americas, production also fell in the main steel-producing countries including the US (-2.2%), Brazil (-10.5%), Mexico (-7.7%) and Canada (-6.9%). Other significant changes around the world include a 20.1% production decline in Ukraine and a 8.1% drop in Turkey.
” Beijing National Aquatics Centre and Beijing National Stadium (background)” from Wikimedia Commons by Angus [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
